Drudge Retort: The Other Side of the News
Wednesday, August 19, 2026

If I were writing a book about the U.S. war with Iran, I know exactly what the title would be. It would be President Trump's social media post of April 5, 2026, directed at the leaders of Iran: "Open the [expletive] Strait, you crazy bastards, or you'll be living in Hell " JUST WATCH!" Wars are a crucible that very often exposes changes in the physics of the world around us " who has power, who doesn't have power and how power is being wielded. Nothing better captures the new power equation produced by this war than Trump's unhinged and obscene rant at the Iranian leadership for not bending to his bombs.

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This new physics of war is equally present in the conflicts between Ukraine and Russia, Hezbollah and Israel, Hamas and Israel and the Houthis and everyone else. My summary of this new dynamic is that the small can now act really big, really accurately and really inexpensively. And while the big can also act really small, really accurately, it is far more expensive for them to do that while bearing the burden of vast legacy arms systems.

The net advantage, for the moment, seems to be to the small. That should keep you up at night, when you think how the emerging revolution in artificial intelligence will surely supercharge this trend, enabling the small to act even bigger, mightier and less expensively.

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Friedman. Ores: "These new weapons amplify another advantage the small have over the big: They don't have to win. They just have to avoid losing. We have to win, end the war, go home and never look back. Good luck with that now."

What is truly alarming today is how easy it is becoming for the small to act big " and by "small," I don't just mean in size, but also in age. A teenager with a laptop, a Starlink connection and an open-weight A.I. model can now disrupt a municipal water or power system by identifying and exploiting old software vulnerabilities.

So don't be surprised if one day soon you hear your mayor sounding like Trump: "Turn my water back on, you crazy ... "

#1 | Posted by Doc_Sarvis at 2026-08-19 07:04 AM | Reply

This argument was made during one of the Hezbollah vs Iran conflicts. Hezbollah only had to survive to win, and they did survive.

Lets check in on Southern Lebanon and see how it's going in 2026.

#2 | Posted by sitzkrieg at 2026-08-19 07:37 AM | Reply

Hezbollah vs Israel. The one where Hezbollah entrenched themselves and took on the Merkava 4s with a bunch of anti-tank missiles.

#3 | Posted by sitzkrieg at 2026-08-19 07:39 AM | Reply

DJT is now just claiming the win.... posting a pic of the Straits circled as, 'US Territory'.

He grew a Norman Vincent Peale fanatic, and is still trying to speak any and everything he wants into existence.

#4 | Posted by Corky at 2026-08-19 11:31 AM | Reply

I am so glad we have finally won the Excursion and that Iran has completely surrendered to our awesome and overwhelming but bigly beautiful powers. Again.

So who will we elect as governor of this new U.S. territory? I hear Rubio could use another job title. He is only doing two jobs currently and can easily do at least one more.

#5 | Posted by donnerboy at 2026-08-19 12:03 PM | Reply

I assume of course that they don't get to vote. Because they are very brown and we couldn't have that. Not in Trumpy's Managed Democracy. Trumpy gets to decide who gets to vote in his world.

#6 | Posted by donnerboy at 2026-08-19 12:06 PM | Reply

Lets check in on Southern Lebanon and see how it's going in 2026.
#2 | Posted by sitzkrieg

It's giving Poland, September 1, 1939 vibes.

#7 | Posted by snoofy at 2026-08-19 12:27 PM | Reply

#5 | POSTED BY DONNERBOY

You have no idea what the topic is do you?


The net advantage, for the moment, seems to be to the small. That should keep you up at night, when you think how the emerging revolution in artificial intelligence will surely supercharge this trend, enabling the small to act even bigger, mightier and less expensively.

Decentralism was coined in the 1820s, because government was too big, and to expensive.

Its also why communism and socialism fail, systems reach a certain level of hierarchy and it loses its ability to change, or meet the needs of its customers.

Also why China opened up and adopted more capitalistic policies, it realized a monolithic hierarchy fails, unlike Lumpers here who seem to think the only way to do something is through the government.

You can't argue there's a "new power", and then want more monolithic social/government systems. You'd be a moron.

Liberals in the 70s80s used to want decentralization, grow your own food, buy locally. All that is out the window with you Lumpers, you prove it every day.

#8 | Posted by oneironaut at 2026-08-19 12:45 PM | Reply | Funny: 1


It's giving Poland, September 1, 1939 vibes.
#7 | POSTED BY SNOOFY

When the Soviets were in Eastern Poland? What are you talking about?

Perhaps you mean 1941, when the first holocaust camp opened, if you're going to use a poor analogy at least get it right.

#9 | Posted by oneironaut at 2026-08-19 12:48 PM | Reply | Funny: 1

5 | POSTED BY DONNERBOY

You have no idea what the topic is do you?

I was responding to Corky. Are you taking over Gracie's Hall Monitor jerb?

Trumpy was right! You dang drug running rapists (and I assume some good) aliens is taking our jerbs!

#10 | Posted by donnerboy at 2026-08-19 01:24 PM | Reply

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